


Forever is an Awfully Long Time

by GoodJanet



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Apologies, Comfort/Angst, Gen, Goodbyes, Growing Old
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 09:14:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7355005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodJanet/pseuds/GoodJanet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robbie learns what "forever" really means when Sportacus explains to Robbie that he's leaving Lazy Town for good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever is an Awfully Long Time

**Author's Note:**

> Written after I learned that Magnus Scheving would no longer be portraying Sportacus on _Lazy Town_

Robbie notices before the kids do. He notices that the blue elf takes a little longer to catch up with him. That Sportacus doesn’t flipity flop as much as he used to. That he finds fewer and fewer occasions for the splits. It almost takes all the fun out of his disguises and sugar apples. 

Almost.

His observations don’t give him enough pause to prevent him from proceeding as usual. This week, an astrophysicist. The next, who knows! A police officer, a sailor, or maybe even a TV repair man! Because what better way to get kids to sit down than by providing them with a screen of some kind?

Then the impossible happens.

The pink girl climbs up too high on the ladder while reaching for an apple when her foot slips. Robbie watches in bemusement. Sportafreak here to save the day. Whoop-de-doo. He does a few flips and lands in a spot underneath her, arms ready to catch her. She screams and drops into Sportacus’ bulging arms, like always. Robbie is about to walk away when it happens.

Sportacus stumbles.

Robbie blinks a few times and rubs his eyes. The blue elf _stumbled_ under the pink girl’s weight, forcing him to catch himself on his knee while still cradling her in his arms. Even though Robbie was thunderstruck, he also notices that Stephanie was blushing…again. (He can’t help but notice that it matches the rest of her outfit.) Perhaps Sportacus wasn’t the only one who was getting older. And perhaps the girl didn’t need to be “saved” as often as she made it out to be. Of course Sportaloon was too blind to notice her schoolgirl crush.

Sportacus is ready to zip off to who knows where when Robbie calls out to him. Stunned, the elf stops, does his annoying poses, and races over to Robbie.

“Hello, Robbie! How are you today?”

He’s beaming, and his hands are on his hips, but Robbie isn’t fooled. He knows a tired person when he sees one. He’s kind of an expert on that subject.

“How long until you tell the brats?”

Robbie doesn’t know how to sugarcoat the question. Cakes and cookies, yes. But conversations about things like caring about Sportacus’ was out of his wheelhouse. Sportacus frowns, and Robbie doesn’t think he’s even been more worried about anyone or anything before in his life.

“Robbie, you haven’t told them, have you?”

Sportacus looks concerned. Robbie looks down when he grabs his arm. He’s still strong. Stronger than Robbie ever will be. Robbie gulps and looks up, meeting Sportacus’ supernaturally blue eyes. He quickly slips back into his usual persona and yanks his arm free.

“Even I’m not that heartless, Sportadork. I’d much rather watch their faces when you tell them.”

“Robbie,” Sportacus tiredly admonishes. He shakes his head. “I’m not going to tell them.”

Robbie quirks a brow and puts his hands on his hips.

“Don’t you think the little tykes will realize you’re turning into a grandpa on their own? Even Sticky and Fancy Boy aren’t that loony.”

“You don’t understand, Robbie. They’re not going to see me get lazy or tired or old. I don’t want them to.”

“But that means you’re—”

Robbie cuts himself off as realization dawns on him. His jaw drops.

“You’re finally getting your wish,” Sportacus says.

It settles like a stone in his stomach. Sportacus was leaving Lazy Town _forever_ , and it feels like getting punched in the stomach. Or tripping on a skateboard. Or falling out of a tree.

“Forever?” Robbie asks. And he can swear he can hear it echo.

Sportacus nods, tight-lipped. Before Robbie can think of something to say, the sound of children laughing makes them turn their heads. They’ve put the volleyball net up, and Pixel passes to Trixie, who gets it over the net with ease. Sportacus is glad to see that she’s been practicing.

“Who do you expect to watch the little terrors? Certainly not _me!_."

Robbie shudders, and Sportacus gives a soft laugh.

“The children are growing up too, Robbie. They know how to eat and brush and sleep all on their own now. They don’t need my help as often anymore.”

He sounds wistful, and Robbie hates it. Winning wasn’t supposed to be this easy. It feels wrong. He presses him further.

“No more sport’s candy? No more flipity flip? No more beep-beep-beep-beep and saving people?”

“No, not from me, at least.”

Robbie swallows hard. He’s not going to cry. He’s not going to wail and beg Sportacus to stay. What kind of villain would he be if he admitted he was wrong? Besides, it was too late. Too late to change or apologize or fix things.

“I’ve called in a replacement. He has a number eleven on his chest. He’s good with the older kids. Like Stephanie.”

Sportacus looks back at the field like he’s dying to sprint off and play with them. Robbie is surprised that he’s restraining himself. It only serves to compound the finality of Sportacus’ decision.

“They’re going to hate you,” Robbie says. “They won’t understand.”

Sportacus is slow to answer, still watching the kids play. His hands clench and unclench.

“One day, they will understand. They will understand why I have to leave when they are older.”

“But-but-but _I_ don’t understand, Sportaflop. And let’s face it, our childhood died with disco.”

It earns him a small smile. Then his hand is back on his arm, warm and comforting. His palm feels as though it were exuding pulses of energy. Maybe that was how everyone bounced back from their disasters so quickly. He was actually healing them. Did that mean Sportacus had been shouldering their pain all these long years? How could he have been so stupid?

“I’m tired, Robbie. You’ve always told me to stop moving and rest, and now I am ready.”

It’s too much. It’s just too much. Robbie drops to the park bench in a heap and sobs into his hands. Sportacus wraps his arm around his shoulders and pulls him in tight.

“There, there, Robbie. You didn’t know. You didn’t mean it.”

“But I did!” he wails. “I did know, and I did mean it!”

“Then you will have to do better when Eleven gets here. It’s never too late to learn from your mistakes.”

Robbie wipes his eyes and blows his nose on a large handkerchief he pulls from his pocket. He tries to compose himself.

“When will you go?”

“Tonight,” he says without hesitation. He’s obviously been planning this for a while. “After the children have gone to sleep.”

“They’ll think I did it.”

“I know, but can you blame them?" Sportacus teases. "Don't worry. My replacement will explain it to them. I’ve already told him all about you.” 

And he says with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Robbie preens, just as Sportacus knew he would.

“Did you tell him about my style? My grace? My intricate evil plans?”

“No, none of that.” Robbie frowns. “I told him about how active you are!”

Robbie jumps up from the bench, fuming.

“ _Active!?_ I can’t have him thinking I’m active! I’m evil! I’m lazy! I sleep and snore and eat cake and lounge around all day. I steal the sport’s candy and wear disguises and build things all in the name of laziness.”

Sportacus stands up too, beaming from ear to ear. He reaches up to clasp Robbie’s shoulders between his hands.

“That sounds pretty active to me, Robbie.”

Robbie deflates. His long, lean frame collapses against Sportacus, who easily holds him up. Sportacus gently pats him on the back with promises that he’ll be fine. That he’ll forget all about him and come up with new schemes against his new adversary. Sportacus tells him that it’s okay if he wants to be lazy, but to leave the kids alone. He reminds Robbie that kids don’t stay young and precocious for “forever,” and to remember to be kind. He tells Robbie that he was just as important to the population of Lazy Town as anyone else. He tells Robbie that he will be fine without him.

Finally, Robbie finds the strength to stand, once again convinced that Sportacus had transferred some of his powers onto him to revive him. Sportacus holds him at arm’s length.

“I’m going to go play with the kids now. Will you be alright?”

“As I’ll ever be,” he grumbles.

“Goodbye, Robbie.”

Sportacus sticks out his hand. Tentatively, Robbie does. Sportacus squeezes too hard, but this time, he doesn’t complain. He merely tries to commit the feeling to memory before Sportacus lets go. Sportacus smiles like he’s merely going off on another adventure, arms raised to do his poses before dashing off for one more afternoon with the children.

“Goodbye,” Robbie says, hand raised in farewell, and Sportacus freezes mid-pose. “Sportacus.”

Sportacus feels his heart fill to bursting. There isn’t anything else left to say, so he gives a little tilt of his head and a quirk of his mouth before racing off to the playground in a blur of electric blue.


End file.
